When attempting to couple trailers and other auxiliary equipment to vehicles, it can often be a requirement that power and/or signals be transmitted to that auxiliary equipment. Particularly for trailers and other mobile equipment, both power and signals are required to be transmitted for the purpose of replicating the vehicle lighting (e.g. brake lights and indicators) that the mobile equipment might obscure when attached behind the vehicle.
In order to transmit power and/or signals, an electrical system of the auxiliary equipment must be coupled with a system of the vehicle. Generally, this requires the alignment and coupling of a coupling element of the auxiliary equipment with a coupling element of the vehicle. Particularly at night, locating and aligning coupling elements can be very difficult. This problem also exists where vehicles are under a roof, or are large enough to obscure much of the light that would otherwise enable visibility of the coupling elements.
In addition, many countries require auxiliary equipment to be coupled with the vehicle by a ball joint or universal coupling and also by a shackle, the latter being provided in the event that the former fails. When visibility is poor, alignment of ball joints and universal couplings can be time consuming. Similarly, since shackles tend to be connected to the vehicle at an underside of a trailing assembly, there is often poor visibility for effecting coupling of the shackle, even during daylight hours.
It is desired therefore to provide an apparatus for improving visibility at least during coupling.